The present invention relates to an image processing technique for generating a synthesized image from images taken with a plurality of cameras. In particular, the present invention relates to a technique that can be effectively applied to monitoring systems used as an assist in ensuring safety driving of a vehicle and the like.
In recent years, with widespread use of car-mounted displays and cost reduction in video equipment such as cameras, devices for monitoring the surroundings of a vehicle with cameras to assist safety driving have been commercialized and are now becoming popular.
As an example of such conventional vehicle surroundings monitoring devices, the following construction is known. That is, a camera is placed at a position on a vehicle where an image of a blind area for the driver, such as the rear of the vehicle, can be taken with the camera, and the image taken (camera image) is shown on a display for monitoring.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 58-110334 discloses the following construction. A plurality of cameras are placed at different positions on a vehicle. A plurality of camera images taken with the cameras are modified and synthesized, to generate a synthesized image as is viewed from the above of the vehicle with the vehicle in the center and display the synthesized image on an in-car display. Using this vehicle surroundings monitoring device, the driver sitting on the driver's seat can monitor on the display a blind area of which direct view is not possible. This contributes to avoiding an accident that would otherwise have occurred, and also facilitating the driving.